Norway is laying plans to blow up bridges across the country in the event of a Russian invasion. One of the bridges under consideration could be the Bøkfjord Bridge, that connects Norway with its Slavonic neighbour.
Opened with much fanfare in 2017, the bridge was part of a new cross-border road link, which also included a tunnel. It was supposed to symbolise good relations between the two countries and was expected to increase trade. “We have a mutual interest in further developing cooperation, for business, trade, education, environment and other areas,” Minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen said at the time.
Norway’s government invested a whopping 880 million kroner (£64m) in the infrastructure project.
The bridge measures 284 metres in length and was built in Germany, before being towed to its present site on the Pasvik river, replacing the old Elvenes Bridge.
However, as relations with Russia deteriorate following Vladimir Putin‘s full scale invasion of Ukraine, Oslo is now working on plans to destroy important transport links in the event of war.
According to the newspaper VG, the Norwegian government is in the process of establishing procedures for so-called ‘communication-disrupting measures’ for bridges and other infrastructure.
The government is taking inspiration from Ukraine’s army, which has sabotaged and destroyed important transport links to frustrate Putin’s forces.
“Objects that the Armed Forces wish to destroy in wartime, with the aim of delaying enemy advances, must be prepared in peacetime,” Anders Haavik-Nilsen, a representative of the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency, told VG. “This increases the effect and reduces the cost,” Anders Haavik-Nilsen, a representative of the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency, told VG.
Norway’s army is refusing to reveal which transport infrastructure will be selected for self-destruction.
Several new bridges in Norway are believed to have “communication-disrupting measures” built into them. However, it is not clear whether the Bøkfjord Bridge is one of them.
